History is a general branch ofsocial studiesthat is typically taught in the upper levels of elementary school. However, we can naturally begin teaching American history with core learning activities.In the modern classroom, it is becoming increasingly important to teach social studies in all subject areas. This means teachers and parents should strive to integrate social studies into their lessons on topics such as math, STEM and the arts. The purpose of teaching social studies in all subjects is to enhance student learning by providing a more holistic learning experience.
We know that Black history is American history that can be simply integrated by teaching about African-American mathematicians.One way to celebrate is by introducing your children to the inspiring story of the hidden figures in mathematics. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden are just a few of these talented mathematicians who were a part of NASA’s space program during the 1960s and 70s. These incredible black female mathematicians have brought much needed attention to an often overlooked field, and they can serve as inspiring role models for kids today.
Thistime of year,we should pay tribute to the manyBlack mathematicians.But, you can also incorporatea math activityinto yourlesson plans historical figures who are not typically associated with mathematics education.Incelebration of Black History Month,we are going to show you how to bringAmerican history– specifically Black history, into yourmath classcurriculum thismonth of February. We even have a free Black History Month math activity for you to download and printinspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
What Is Black History Month?
Black History Month is an annual observance in theUnited Statesto recognize and celebrate African American culture and accomplishments. It was first started in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a historian, author and journalist. Also, known as African American History Month, it was originally called “Negro History Week” and was observed for the first time between February 12-19 of that year to coincide with Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ birthdays.
Math Black History Month Ideas for Preschool – 2nd Grade
At Goose Goose Duck some of our favorite black history month activities are interactivelanguage artsgames, STEM activities, crafts andmath problemsinspired by notable Black Americans in history.Though Black History Monthis a perfect time forlesson ideasinspired byAfrican-American heroes, this is agreat opportunityto teach aboutBlack leadersinAmerican historywith interactive activities you may not find in the regularschool curriculum.
Math Problems Black History Month Ideas
Topic: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
About: Civil rights movement leader Dr. King is one of the most famous African Americans in history.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement of the 20th century and is recognized as a leader in the struggle for racial equality and social justice. He is renowned for his legacy of non-violent protest, demonstrated through his participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. He was also a strong supporter of economic empowerment.
Incorporating Math: Martin Luther King Jr. saw that everyone in his community was not treated the same as other members of the community. Some community members did not receive equal goods or services. When riding the bus, they did not have the same choices as the other riders and the service was not as nice or good. At restaurants, they did not receive service from the waitresses and the food they received was not the same quality. When some members of the community were working in the roles as garbage collector they were not given the same tools to help complete the work. When something is the same it is equal.
Objective: In this exercise, we will explore what equal means within the context of math. Unlike the concept of equality, we can visually show what is equal to, less than, or more than by using physical tools. Practice greater than, less than and equal to with manipulatives. This activity is easily adjusted to grade levels.
Activity: Compare which amount of pizza is greater than, less than or equal with pizza printable worksheets. Older children also glue on pizza toppings showing fractions. While younger children compare the slices, older children can use the manipulative to understand fractions and complete a math worksheet.
Other Activities in the MLK Activity Pack:
Civics – Learn about community helpers
Economics – Learn the difference between goods and services
Economics – Learn the difference between producers and consumers
Social Emotional Learning – Self-awareness with stories and feeling cards
Civics – Identify the difference between fair and equal
Social Emotional Learning – Responsible decision making
Economics – Learn about money cycles
Economics – Social and political participation mini book
Math – Recognizing coins and counting money
Arts & Crafts – Make a money box
Arts & Crafts – Recognizing coins and counting money
DOWNLOAD THE FULL MLK ACTIVITY PACK
Topic: Gwendolyn Brooks
About: Gwendolyn Brooks is an iconic American poet and novelist, who achieved immense success for her work during the 20th century. She was a monumental figure in the African-American literary tradition and wrote on various topics of importance to the African-American experience. Brooks was the first African-American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poems entitled “Annie Allen” in 1950. Her poetic works are often lauded for their sensitivity towards culture, race and social identity.
Incorporating Math: Gwendolyn Brooks won many awards for her poetry. Along with rhythm and rhyme, her award winning poetry used rhyme schemes. A rhyme scheme are the lines in a piece of poetry that rhyme, by using words at the end of each line that sound similar. Every line does not have to rhyme. The rhyming words at the end of each line create a pattern.
Objective: A pattern is something that repeats. Learn how to complete patterns.
Activity: Printable – Complete the pattern worksheet with items related to Gwendolyn Brooks. Complete counting syllable rhythm exercises.
Other Activities in the Brooks Activity Pack
STEM – Practice visual observation sensory skills
STEM – Practice hearing observation sensory skills
Social Emotional Learning – Self-Awarenesswith stories and feelings cards
Literary – Write a simple poem
Arts & Crafts – Make a tambourine
Literacy – Practice counting syllables in words
Literacy – Write a free form poem
Literacy – Practice rhyming skills
Literacy – Using rhyming words
Literacy – Analyze a poem
Literacy – Develop research skills
DOWNLOAD THE FULL GWENDOLYN BROOKS ACTIVITY PACK
Topic: Frederick Douglass
About: Frederick Douglass was a prominent American statesman and social reformer, who actively sought to promote an abolitionist movement throughout the United States during the 19th century. As one of the most renowned African-American figures of his era, Douglass used his personal story of escaping from slavery and subsequent success as a means to galvanize popular support for the anti-slavery cause andBlack people.
Incorporating Math: Frederick Douglass did not have the opportunity to go to school and did not have parents at home to teach him. Even though he did not have much money, young Frederick was determined to learn how to read. Young Frederick was resourceful. That means he knew how to use what he had to find a solution to his problem. Frederick had a plan. He knew boys in the area who were poor but knew how to read.
Frederick knew they were often hungry. He convinced them to give him reading lessons in exchange for bread. After many meetings, Frederick learned how to read. Then,with the small amount of money he earned doing chores, he bought a school textbook. Frederick reached his goal to learn how to read by trading what they needed for what he needed. When someone trades something they have or something they can do for something they want or need, without using money, that is called bartering.Bartering items and skills is a way to acquire what you need without spending money
Objective: Often with big goals it takes a combination of bartering, money and at times assistance to reach a goal. Play a game to learn how to get closer to a goal with bartering.
Activity: Make up a pretend goal like building a playground. Using a combination of fake money and bartering have your child acquire the items to build the playground. Access the full printable bartering game in the Frederick Douglass activity pack FOUND HERE.
Other Activities in the Frederick Douglass Activity Pack:
Literacy – Develop story building and vocabulary
STEM – Develop self-awareness and responsible decision making skills
Writing – Practice writing letters and whole sentences
Literacy – Build confidence by memorizing and reciting a speech.
Literacy – Practice active listening skills
Literacy – Practice verbal communication skills
Literacy – Understanding the difference between fact and opinion
Literacy – Writing an autobiography
DOWNLOAD THE FULL FREDERICK DOUGLASS ACTIVITY PACK
Topic: Cowboy Robert Lemmons
About: Mustanger Robert Lemmons is an iconic figure in the American West, having achieved fame and notoriety as a legendary horseman. His skillful handling of wild mustangs earned him a reputation as a master wrangler and his legacy lives on through his numerous accomplishments and contributions to the ranching industry. As a result of his work, he has become an important symbol of the Western culture and lifestyle with stories about him being passed down from generation to generation.
Incorporating Math: Robert Lemmons had a different way of rounding up mustangs than other cowboys. By taking control of the herd without using force, the horses he delivered were healthy and strong.His success is an example of there being more than one way to complete a task. Many ranchers hired Mr. Lemmons and paid him well for his unique skills. He was good with his money and became a wealthy man with a large ranch of his own. He was also kind, helping out people in the community when they did not have food and other items. Talking about Mr. Lemmons is theperfect timeto practice counting money.
Objective: Robert Lemmons was an independent thinker. He became a wealthy man by thinking and acting differently. This next exercise illustrates there is more than one path to solve a problem correctly. Use coins to show there is more than one way to come up with the same money amount.
Activity: Give your child an assortment of coins. Give them a dollar amount and ask them to give you coins equaling that amount. Ask them to do it again using different coins to show them a problem can be solved in more than one way. For example: 15 pennies = 1 dime and a nickle = 3 nickles.
DOWNLOAD the coin activity including play coins printable and instructions HERE.
Other Activities in the Robert Lemmons Activity Pack:
Literacy – Practice listening comprehension
STEM – Developing cognitive thinking skillswith pretend play activity
STEM – Develop observation skills
Literacy – Conceptualizing a narrative
Math – Practice estimating through comparison
STEM – Identify animals and their young
Art – Creating figures from shapes
Art – Creating figures from shapes
GET THE FULL COWBOY ROBERT LEMMONS ACTIVITY PACK
Topic: Inventor Garrett Morgan
About: Garrett Morgan is a remarkable individual who has made many important contributions to the fields of invention, business, and marketing. He is best known for inventing the gas mask which was integral in saving numerous lives during wartime. Additionally, he held several patents related to the sewing machine and traffic signal industries. His skills as an entrepreneur allowed him to build successful companies and be an important community leader.
Incorporating Math: When Garrett Morgan was young, most people did not own a car. As shown in the video, people would travel in horse and buggies, on public transportation, on bikes as well as walk on the road. Traffic was often confusing with so many different people sharing the road. One day Mr. Morgansaw a scary accident. A horse and buggy did not stop on time.He wanted to find a way to make traffic lights better to keep people safe in the streets. He noticed traffic lights only had two lights. One light for stop and another for go.He realized if there was a third light to tell people to slow down, they would be ready to stop when the light turned red.By thinking through the problem, he was able to invent the three light traffic light. Play a traffic light Sudoku to help us practice solving problems.
Objective: Sudoku is a Japanese puzzle that teaches important critical thinking, problem solving and organization skills to help students excel in math, logic, and critical thinking. The object of the game is to arrange the numbers so they only appear once in the row or column.
Activity: Have your children play a game of Sudoku. Sudoku can be played with numbers or pictures for younger kids. To stay with the Garrett Morgan theme use the colors of a traffic light. For traffic light Sudoku game pieces you can download the game with our Garrett Morgan activity pack here.
Other Activities in the Garrett Morgan Activity Pack:
STEM – Develop Observation Skills with Garrett Morgan Fact Cards
STEM – Experiment with the sense of touch, taste and smell
STEM – Experiment with ingredients to invent your own recipe
STEM – Practice critical thinking skills with writing a recipe and sequencing
Literary- Practice persuasive writing
Literacy – Develop critical thinking skills
Math – Literacy Practicing how to sort, classify, and order objects by size, shape and color
Have AGreat TimeWith Black History Month Math Activities
Black History Month is an important opportunity to explore and celebrate the contributions made by Black Americans throughout history. While it is important to introduce prominent African-American mathematicians, you can teach math by incorporating activities while teaching about notable Black Americans. Parents and teachers can still provide a meaningful, relatable experience for younger children by creating lessons with new perspectives.
OurGoose Goose Duckactivity packs are a great way to engage kids during Black History Month while incorporating math lessons. Activity packs could include math related tasks as well as STEM, literacy and crafts.
Find the perfect activity packs for your kids here.
